A Study of Acts Chapter 2

Transcription

1 A Study f Acts Chapter 2 I. WHY STUDY ACTS? A. We study Acts because it has implicatins fr the present-day church 1. We need a scripturally centered apprach n what Gd's intents and purpses are fr the Church. I submit that His verall plans fr the church and hw it ught t functin haven't changed since Acts 2, In fact, we're t lk at Acts 2 as inspired by the Hly Spirit and a mdel fr us t emulate tday. 2. The law f first mentin is a Biblical study and interpretatin technique based n the idea that the first mentin f smething in the Bible prvides the key paradigm fr further studying the tpic. a. Alng with Mathew 16:18, Acts 2 is ne f the places in Scripture where we see the first expressin f the church B. We Study Acts because it is a clear and cncise lk at the true nature and functin f the Church 1. Acts 2 is scripturally cncise; In this ne chapter yu can find the church engaging in prayer, demnstratins f the Spirit, praise, preaching, witnessing, and the fellwship f believers and yu sense hw each f these are all meant t wrk tgether t shape Church expressin. 2:1 - they were all tgether (praying) in ne place 2: 4 - And they were all filled with the Hly Spirit and began t speak in ther tngues 2:11 - we hear them telling in ur wn tngues the mighty wrks f Gd 2:14 - But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his vice and addressed them 2:40 - And with many ther wrds he bre witness and cntinued t exhrt them 2:41 - and there were added that day abut three thusand suls 2:42- And they devted themselves t the apstles' teaching and the fellwship, t the breaking f bread and the prayers. 2. The church as a cmmunity is alive. And it is t be dynamic, creative, and expressive while remaining lyal t the leading f the Hly Spirit. Withut a dynamic, Spirit-led expressin in each f these areas, there's a temptatin t rely purely n frm and functin withut the pwer f Gd. C. We Study Acts Because it Yields a Prphetic Pattern 1. There is a divine pattern fund thrughut the Scriptures that when the peple f Gd are in crisis because f judgment, Gd tells them t turn t Him in prayer s that He can shw mercy and respnd with a blessing.

2 2 Chrn. 7: When I shut up the heavens s that there is n rain, r cmmand the lcust t devur the land, r send pestilence amng my peple, if my peple wh are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn frm their wicked ways, then I will hear frm heaven and will frgive their sin and heal their land. 2. Psalm 2, Jel 2, Acts 2 are key passages in this Divine pattern fr the last days a. Psalm 2 - Crisis. Natins raging against Gd and pltting t verthrw His rule b. Jel 2 - Divine Respnse - Gather everyne, fast and pray c. Acts 2 - Divine Result - Outpuring f the Hly Spirit; blessing, revival, and transfrmatin 3. Understanding this pattern and seeing Gd fulfill his prmises (2 Chrn 7:14) gives us cnfidence fr when we face individual and crprate trubles in the future. Jhn 16:1-2, 33 I have said all these things t yu t keep yu frm falling away. They will put yu ut f the synaggues. Indeed, the hur is cming when whever kills yu will think he is ffering service t Gd I have said these things t yu, that in me yu may have peace. In the wrld yu will have tribulatin. But take heart; I have vercme the wrld. II. Overview f Acts 2 A. Setup fr Success Acts 1:8 - But yu will receive pwer when the Hly Spirit has cme upn yu, and yu will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and t the end f the earth. B. Pentecst 1. Acts 2 is the beginning fr the fulfillment f the abve prmise frm Acts 1. The disciples might have wndered prir t Acts 2 - hw are we ging t cmmunicate with thse in ther lands with ther languages? 1. Pentecst means "fiftieth". It was the 50 days after the Passver Feast. It was als a harvest festival when the first laves f bread made frm barley harvest were ffered t Gd. First fruits 2. Thse gathered in Jerusalem were called the dispersin: Thse brn Jews Thse cnverted by baptism, circumcisin Thse wh kept the 10 Cmmandments C. Upper Rm r Temple Cmplex? 1. The prevailing belief is that the 120 disciples were gathered in the upper rm n Pentecst Sunday. The same rm where they celebrated Passver. Hwever, the scripture isn t clear where exactly the 120 were gathered, and sme believe they were gathered in the temple cmplex. 2

3 D. A Divine Disruptin 1. Frm the still place f prayer, the Hly Spirit was pured ut as they experienced the fllwing They heard a sund frm heaven They felt a rushing wind fill the entire place They saw divided tngues f fire appear abve each ne They were filled with the Hly Spirit (internal experience) They spke in previusly unknwn languages (external experience) E. High Praise Cmmtin 1. Ntice that they were given these languages nt t speak t men, but t PRAISE GOD, as they started praising Gd befre the crwds shwed up. When the crwds shwed up, Peter transitined int preaching. This was primarily a PRAYER LANGUAGE used t extl the Lrd. F. Quting Jel 1. Understanding Jel s message Jel's Prphecy - Partial, Ultimate, r Prgressive? When are the last days? Why prphecy? What's the Pint? 2. Jel's Prphecy - Partial, Ultimate, r Prgressive a. Prphecies that can find fulfillment in the New Testament ught t be cnsidered in 3 ways. Partial - the prphecy has been partially fulfilled with an expectatin f anther, future fulfillment Ultimate - the prphecy has been/r will be cmpletely fulfilled with n expectatin f anther future fulfillment Prgressive - the prphecy has been initiated and will be prgressively fulfilled ver time frm nw until sme pint in the future. b. Pentecst (als knwn as the Feast f First fruits) was the beginning f the fulfillment f the Jel 2 prphecy. It culd nt have been the ultimate fulfillment f Jel 2 prphecy because the fllwing has nt yet been fulfilled: The utpuring was nt n all flesh (nly abut 120) 3

4 The signs and wnders in the heaven and earth described in Jel 2 were nt manifested in Acts 2. Acts 2 cntained nly wind and fire c. Therefre, we can cnclude that Jel 2 prphecy fulfilled in Acts 2 is either a partial r prgressive fulfillment. 3. In the last days a. When Peter referenced Jel 2 as the explanatin fr what was happening in Acts 2, it implied that the last days had begun with the advent f the Hly Spirit t the church. Hebrews 1:1 Lng ag, at many times and in many ways, Gd spke t ur fathers by the prphets, but in these last days he has spken t us by his Sn b. The "End Times" is cmmnly used t refer t the time perids leading up (birth pains) and during the tribulatin (7 year perid) as described in Matthew chapter 24 and the Bk f Revelatin 4. Last Days Prphetic Ministry a. The first questin we must answer: des all flesh really mean all flesh. Sme teach that all flesh is qualified later n with men-servants and maidservants s that the text means t say that nly fllwers f Jesus will perate in the prphetic ministry. b. Hwever, scripture des nt limit prphecy t believers nly i. Caiaphas Prphecy (Jhn 11:50-52) ii. I never knew yu (Matthew 7:21-23) c. The secnd questin we have t answer is what is prphetic ministry? The simple answer t what is prphecy is anything that cmmunicates the thughts, feelings, and desires f the Lrd Rev. 19:10 Fr the testimny f Jesus is the spirit f prphecy. d. Jel 2 and Acts 2 tell us where the prphetic ministry is ging. The signs and the wnders in heaven and earth described by Jel in verses 19 & 20 are cnnected t the spirit f prphecy described in verses The Pint f the Outpuring a. By sending the Hly Spirit t the church, Jesus is accmplishing tw things 4

5 Unity within the Church Salvatin within the wrld Jhn 17:22 The glry that yu have given me I have given t them, that they may be ne even as we are ne, 23 I in them and yu in me, that they may becme perfectly ne, s that the wrld may knw that yu sent me and lved them even as yu lved me. b. Jel s prphecy mentins three different ways peple will be united by the utpuring f the Hly Spirit i. Gender: sns and daughters, men and wmen. ii. Generatins: yung and ld dreams & visins iii. Gens: Jew and Gentile. Fr the prmise is t yu and t yur children, and t all wh are afar ff, as many as the Lrd ur Gd will call (Acts 2:39) Arguably, these three divisins are the biggest in all f humanity. c. The secnd utwrking f the utpuring f the Hly Spirit is unt salvatins fr whsever calls n the name f the Lrd. d. The 4 step mdel fr witnessing based n Acts 2. Pray Be filled with the Spirit Prphecy (share the testimny) Repeat 5